How to Add Custom 3D Models to Your HoloBuilder project

HoloBuilder provides an option to upload and integrate custom 3D models to enhance any 360° scene.

Written by Anna-Azize Marktscheffel Updated over a week ago

1 Supported file types

HoloBuilder can handle 3D models as .obj or in the .dae format. These are usually accompanied by materials and textures in terms of .mtl and .png files.

It is important to always import all files of the 3D object. To simplify this, it is possible to add the zipped folder with all the files into the upload modal.

Note: Keep it simple. The bigger (number of edges/ vertices) the 3D model is, the longer it will take the HoloBuilder project to load when viewing it. Try to reduce the number of edges/ vertices as much as possible to guarantee a faster loading process.

2 Importing the 3D model

2.1 Select a 3D model from your computer

To add a 3D model to your HoloBuilder project, click the tab in the right-hand sidebar. Open the section ‘Custom Text and Objects ‘ at the top of the right-hand sidebar. Click on the button to open the 3D model importer.

Usually, when you download or manage your custom 3D models, the model, material, and texture are provided as a single ZIP file. In the importer, select the ZIP file containing the model in the subsequent dialog. Or, drag and drop the zip folder from your computer directly into the highlighted area (see image below). Alternatively, you can also simply select all individual files of the model and add these single files accordingly.

In case, you don’t upload the model in terms of a single ZIP file, but drag and drop or select a single .obj or .daefile, in a subsequent step HoloBuilder will automatically ask you to also provide the files for material and texture—given they exist (usually something.mtl and something.png).

2.2 Select a 3D model from Autodesk BIM 360 Docs

In order to import 3D models directly from your Autodesk BIM 360 Docs account, you first need to connect your HoloBuilder account to your Autodesk account as well as the BIM 360 project to this HoloBuilder project. Find out more about connecting to your Autodesk BIM 360 account and any other options with the Autodesk integration here.

Once the two accounts and projects are connected, click on the +-button in the lower left corner at the bottom of the Project Panel. The upload modal opens. On the left-hand side, switch to the tab ‘BIM 360’ to open the Autodesk BIM 360 project structure. Navigate through the folders to find the 3D model you wish to integrate into your HoloBuilder project. Once found, click on the file to import it into your HoloBuilder project.

2.3 Import 3D file to 360° scene

Once the model was selected and loaded, it will appear in a preview modal. Adjust the lighting, shadow, and orientation of the model, as well as the complexity before finally importing it into the 360° scene. Click IMPORT to add the model to your 360° scene.

3 Working with the 3D model in your 360° scene

Arrange the 3D model in an empty scene or fit it into the 360° image. Select the 3D object and move, rotate or scale it to fit the scene.

3 Support

If you have any questions or problems, you can always reach us at support@holobuilder.com for more information on this or any other topic.